Photo Credit: Soap Opera Network
I feel like by this point in time, I’m an unofficial promoter of the stars of the CW network, specifically for Supernatural. However, since this is also in promotion of an excellent cause and would assist in the devastation currently happening in southeast United States, I definitely feel that this news is worth sharing.
On September 1, the CW network released a video on Twitter with a very important message: the cast of popular CW television shows such as Supernatural, Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl were banding together to promote Stronger Than Storms. Stronger Than Storms is a Crowdrise fundraising campaign that was created in order to provide relief to victims suffering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. This campaign was jumpstarted by Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, launched by Ackles’ company based in Texas, Family Business Beer Company, and Misha Collins’ charity, Random Acts.
The network’s cast united to implore viewers to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey and donate whatever they can to the campaign. Along with the necessity of providing aid to those who desperately need it, the cast is taking the responsibility of helping victims of Hurricane Harvey to a personal level.
“Some of those people are our friends and family,” states Grant Guston, lead actor of CW’s The Flash.
“For some of us, Texas is home,” Jensen Ackles follows up.
Ackles and his Supernatural co-lead Jared Padalecki were originally from Texas, and Ackles’ family currently resides there. Ackles himself has donated $50,000 to aid the victims affected by the hurricane. According to the network, one-hundred percent of the proceeds donated to Stronger Than Storms would be distributed among relief organizations that produce aid for the victims affected by the storms. One way that Stronger Than Storms does this is by using the funds to support smaller, likely overlooked charities, around the affected areas that would provide victims with their immediate assistance.
On the Stronger Than Storms’ Crowdrise page, they have a list of organizations that the funds will be used to support, which include Americares, The Texas Diaper Bank, The Bastrop County Long Term Recovery Team, and the SPCA of Texas. Behind the scenes, Stronger Than Storms is working to identify further organizations that they can rally behind to provide further aid to victims. Since the campaign’s commencement on August 27, Stronger Than Storms has been growing and thriving. As of September 15, the campaign had raised a staggering $419,863 in donations in support of hurricane victims in the southeast.
Initially, the campaign’s monetary goal had been set to $350,000 for victims in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey. That has since changed. As of September 9, Stronger Than Storms has increased its goal to $500,000 following the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irma. This campaign is an excellent example of well-known celebrities implementing their fame to do good within the world and helping those in need.
Fortunately, the CW family are not the only celebrities that are using their fame to do good by the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Comedian Kevin Hart donated $25,000 to assist in hurricane relief efforts and then issued a campaign called the Hurricane Harvey Relief Challenge in which he encourages his celebrity friends, such as Kim Kardashian and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to do the same.
“I’m going to start a real challenge. I’m challenging a lot of my celebrity friends to follow my lead in donating $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey,” Hart stated in a video posted on Instagram.
Celebs such as Sandra Bullock, Tyler Perry, and Leonardo DiCaprio each donated $1 million dollars each! The overwhelming participation and support that celebrities have provided during this time of need is astounding, and it only continues to grow. In an interview done with CNN, Ackles states, “I’m not there; I’m not able to do anything physically. But I’m here and what I can do is rally this incredible community that has been growing for more than a decade now and I can try to harness some of that power and use it for good.”
We may not be able to give much, but we should all strive to give whatever we can to these causes in support of victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
I encourage everyone to venture to go.cwtv.com/Together for the CW Family’s campaign Stronger Than Storms if you can donate. Every penny counts!
Giselle Lopez
Features Editor